You absolute legend. I'm not a techy guy. Capable, but zero experience when it comes to getting under the hood of anything with a chip. Followed this step by step and was able to fix some mean left drift that had made the controller worthless. No more doing some weird "press joysticks in, circle left for 15 seconds, then right for 15" hokie pokie crap every fifteen minutes to re-engage the contact point. Bless you. This is my first comment on youtube because you FREAKING EARNED IT.
This is an incredibly high quality video. The splicing together of your clear explanation side by side with videos of the actual performance of the steps you are describing is so clear and so useful. Thanks so much!
that means an awful lot, thank you! I work hard on these videos and the communication is really important to me, I'm glad it seems to come through from a viewer's perspective.
Agreed. Mine started a couple days ago. I’m better at destroying things then fixin em so I’m nervous to pull my controller apart. It’s my left one so it isn’t too bad but it’s quite annoying.
Bro, thank you so much for this video, it was super helpful! I had two PS5 controls that have drifting, one more than the other so i decided to tackle the worst of them and lo and behold after following your steps in the video the controller is working as if it were brand new! All hope is not lost boys!
I was really bummed out, 3 of my 4 controllers are already unplayable. I saw this video and comments, bought a tool set (these are really cheap) and just finished the first controller.....IT WORKS AGAIN! You are a legend, wish me luck with the next two.
At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never make my controller feel alright. And after spending nights, thinking how Sony did me wrong. I grew strong, and learned how to FIX THE STICKS just by following along!
Thanks a lot man. Typically I HATE having to take apart any tech because I’m scared that it won’t work once put together but I am so happy this fixed my stick drift.
Dude, thank you! The metal bending part was the main issue in my controller. I would have never figured that one out as I was just cleaning components!
Great walk through. Had stick drift on my original controller, ended up buying a new one and sticking the white controller into a drawer and moved on. After my 2nd controllers x button stopped working. Figured I'd try to fix my original controller and found your video. After cleaning both greeny blue plastic bits. The controller works like it just came out of the box. Now i feel more comfortable attempting to fix my second controllers x button. Appreciate you saving me 70$.
You are the absolute GOAT. Finally sat down and did this after some rough games on Rivals and it works flawlessly now. Ty for such great and easy to follow vid
Just completed the whole process, literally a few minutes ago. Was playing GoW Ragnarok and could sit my controller on the sofa and Kratos would happily veer off to the left all by himself. Just fired the game up again and so far so good. Cleaned and also bent the little metal housing as you suggested. Many thanks!
Man, thank you! This was the most clear and direct to the point sollution I found. Finally someone who avoids those "try pushing up, down, take 3 jumps, make a little dance" crap that doesn't solve the problem. I have 3 controllers, each one was drifting in different directions, and your video saved me. All 3 are working fine now. Once again, thank you!
Buddy you have just saved me a small fortune on a new controller, I’m not tech savvy at all but after following you in this video (yes I think it took me an hour or so) I now have a controller working like new. Thanks for making a tutorial even someone like me can follow! You’ve got a new subscriber
Just tried this today. My left joystick was drifting to the left and it was really annoying as I have only had it for about a year. This solved the trick and wasn't super hard either. Thank you.
it’s worth the effort guys. had nasty stick drift on my ps5 controller that I had used for a month after buying. was going to scrap it but have this video a try and it works flawlessly.
Excellent video my friend. You have pointed out all tasks where we should be gentle. At the end of a one hour operation, I have found a tiny hair smaller than eyelash at the interior surface. Post-tested for three hours, the left drift was gone. One really need to be careful about the fact that for left-right drifts, they need to open upper green lid. By the time I have understood this, I have already cleaned the interior of the other green lid. One more warning to other watchers, do not do this immediately after having an espresso. You need your hands stable, no shaking. :)
Just leaving a comment to say this totally worked for me. There were multiple points where I thought I messed up, but it all worked out fine in the end. Thank you so much for this!
Just here to add to the praise of how this works wonders. Even me who's someone with slightly shaky hands and even more so in this case since I was so nervous of breaking something.
Joe Thank you so much! You saved me! I am a woman, I do not understand Tech, I am brazilian AND I made step by step everything you did in this video and the control is fixed! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 You are the best 💛💛💛 now my son is playing well 👏👏👏
Hey man, thanks for the great video. Got my drift issues fixed. Unfortunately, I was less careful than I should have been with my L2 ribbon cable and I accidentally tore it. Thought I was good to go because my controller was working on the main PS5 menu, but it won't work in-game if it's not connected properly. Luckily I had another controller I borrowed the ribbon from while I order some replacement ribbons. Works like brand new now.
You made a very good video, but the potentiometer blue thing for the sticks did not come off and I was stratching the top off it, how do I get them off? Thanks!
Awesome video. Straightforward and extremely helpful. 100% worked and my controller is no longer drifting. Weird thing is that one sensor was filthy (x-axis), but the other (y-axis) barely had much build up, at all. Just glad to not have to buy a new controller.
Totaly usefull video. I did it for a first time and it took me 20 min and steady hand controller works like new after I followed step by step. Salute from 🇭🇷
Holy crap! It worked! 😂 I was a little unsure when I got into the part itself, and got a small stress mark in the plastic when I first bent it. But all seems good. 30 minutes in and no more drift. Now I just need to fix the other 3 that have it.
Tried this, it didn't work the first time - in fact got worse, but then tried again and was more 'forceful' with the amendments to the spring mechanism on the potentiometer thing, and it worked the 2nd time for some reason and solved the stick drift completely. So has saved me £45. Quite a bit harder, and more fiddly than repairing the Switch Stick Drift, but worked in the end. Took me about 45mins - 1 hour to do it twice.
Epic fix, thanks. Found some fine fiber barely visible to the eye. Caution- the black stuff isn’t dirt - it’s probably a conductive grease to keep your potentiometer life in check. I’ve ordered some online so will re apply it while I get back to playing Fortnite
@@ocnussorellius4242 oh yes I should have been clearer there, that's the conductive surface. It does build up dirt on that surface though and it sometimes needs cleaning to expose that surface properly
Thanks a lot for the video! This took care of my stick drift issue. I'm not sure of the name of the part, but those white plastic bits that you pull out the potentiometer, one of mine was in pretty rough shape and the metal was bent a lot more than normal. I no longer have stick drift, but my look sensitivity is faster to the right than it is looking to the left. I bought a cheap Amazon kit that includes the potentiometers and all of the internal parts, I'm going to try replacing just the damaged white plastic piece to see if it helps. Unfortunately, I broke the mic ribbon cable (lower bottom right cable that you warned us about) trying to get it back in. Good thing I rarely use the mic, I can use my other controllers for that functionality 😂
Ahh yes that's so frustrating with that ribbon as it's so delicate. Took me ages to fix when I tore one. I would expect yours will be fine if you swap out the white parts of the potentiometer. Good luck!
Fantastic video. I had bad drift with my 12 month old controller on the horizontal right thumb stick. I ended up cleaning both the horizontal and vertical parts, might as well. On checking the one I had drift with the small metal contact that comes out I noticed straight away there was a 1mm black mark in the metal contact near the top, not sure if it was a burn mark or a piece of trapped rubber but the Isopropyl alcohol, baby's toothbrush and wooden toothpicks removed it (closest I had to earbuds). So far so good, my sons playing his usual Fortnite and says its fixed. You saved me a new controller mate! Subscribed.
Absolutely amazing thank you so much! Fixed my controller that had mad stick drift after under a year - and that was a warranty replacememt for the last one that broke!
You are an absolute legend. ❤❤. Just followed your instructions right and now my dualsense controller works perfectly. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Oh Joe, you’re a star. I’ve not had to deal with one of these yet (touch wood) but when I do I’m glad to see how much easier they are to get into than the Xbox Series pads. I’d probably also have gone straight to replacing the stick, as I’ve done in the past, but I might give your method a go next time!
A tip for people who don't have alcohol cleaner.. you can use Ear buds to clean YES EAR BUDS but after that make sure there are no cotton fiber remains in the socket.. your mobile torch will do the work to see.. This works like a charm... Thank you so much.. i am not a tech guy or something but it helps me a lot i was going to buy a new controller 🎮 thankyou again..
Thank you, you absolutely genius. I know nothing about tech, circuitry and the like, and you put together an excellent video with clear instructions so simple that an imbecile like me could follow and fix 3 controllers!! You just saved me $240.
I gotta tell ya, this worked a lot better than punching it or banging it on my table. Haha. In all seriousness, very well put together video with great explanation and instruction. Thank you for saving me from headaches and saving my wallet from shelling out for a new one. Liked and subbed. 👍
I made the stick drift worse the first time, it drifted left even more, and the second go I made it so it drifted to the right almost maximum. Was I not gentle enough with the metal part to the potentiometer?
@@puppyhale167 sometimes that part just needs replacing. I had the same thing happen with an Xbox pad. You don't have to replace the whole potentiometer, just the middle bit usually does it
This was brilliant! Thanks mate! It worked. I had difficulty putting the L ribbon cable located by the RCA jack (microphone ribbon cable). I didn't realized you're only supposed to pull out the ribbon. I pulled out the black pastic connector and it was difficult to put it back in without getting the two rows of pins bent. Oh well, I managed to put it back on but never tested if the mic works (I don't really used the mic in gaming). Thanks again.
@@jnayls379 ahhh hahaha it's really not that bad. I just find it important to cover the steps in enough detail so people don't get lost part way through
Most of the drift issues can be dealt with with cleaning, even with running can of air and blow into the whole part so it gets the dirt out, but if you keep your gamepads clean you'll get a good mileage out of them
You are a god damn hero thank you for the info. I just followed your steps and you helped save my old ds5. The drift was so bad and the dirt was right where you said to clean now its like a new controller again, and your reassembling part of the video helped so much thank you for posting this
I really appreciate this feedback, thanks for taking the time and congratulations on reviving your controller, it's a great feeling isn't it? I'm never sure quite how much information to include in these videos, keeping things short and watchable but also useful and informative is tricky. So that's good to hear!
I thank u so much .u are the real deal. I just did it today .I almost gave up .but I saw your video about the up & down problem drift I was having and u are so right about the dirt or grease and the springs u have to lift them foward and u are so right love u man. thank u 🙏🏾 ❤ now I’m back in fortnite thank u so much .I’m glad you save me from spend 79.00 for another new controller.
You just saved me brother, I SWEAR I thought I needed to buy a new controller which seemed really werid to me since I just got a brand new ps5 less than a month ago, I felt dissapointed because how can a brand new controller just have that drift without having an extreme use, but thanks to your guide I was able to save myself the need to buy another controller, THANK U SO MUCH
Thanks for this fix. Now not only did the drift goes away, now the sides of my controller has an added feature, 'textured' for better grip (read: screwdriver marks)
Thanks, took care of most of the constant jerking left on my kids purple controller. Bonus for taking the time to show it being put back together, I actually had my battery upside down and the wires were a bit loose.
@@JoeBleeps I found your video so good I'm back again to try and fix the drift on my 2nd PS5 controller. $75 for about 1 hr a day for 2 years, Sony should be forced to fix these for free like Nintendo did with my Switch Joycon, but you're the next best thing.
I'm sure you'll get there. I've had it where no matter how much I clean, it won't fix it. If you get a new potentiometer and pop it open, swap out the white bit with your current one, that might fix it
I just did mine. It had terrible left drift it was filthy I don't know why it was new thank you so much I believe it worked I almost slammed it the other day you are the man saved me alot of money 🤘🤘🤘🤘
THANK YOU! I thought for sure I was going to have to buy a new controller. This one was less than a year old and had awful drift on the left stick. I did everything you suggested in the video and it fixed it. You rock.
thank you so so much for this! extremely helpful. hopefully, mine isn't so bad I have to get another controller... this was controller #4 because of this exact issue.
@JoeBleeps unfortunately it lasted for a day 😭 for some reason my thumbstick seems to press down farther than the other so I have to almost pull it back up? Going to try and find a solution for that now.
I'm sure you can buy a off the shelf potensiometer from any dealer anywhere, and use the components from it to fix/replace the part inside the thumbstics(on one or both pots inside the tumbstick)
Mine doesn’t have drift , but it feels stiff or sticky ? On the right thumb stick . I do believe it may need some basic lubricant but I’m having a hard time finding a ok substance to put on a q-tip and no results . Any help would be useful as I do not trust myself to this degree ! Thank you in advance !
Hi Joe, can u please send me a link where I can buy all of the tools that you used? I wanted to take te controller apart but I don't have any equipment
I just checked and they are out of stock, you should find what you need on Amazon. Any prying tools and precision screwdrivers should be fine for this job. Spudgers are very useful.
@@JoeBleepsI already checked that out before letting this comment but there’s so many different options idek which one would be. That would be awesome man
Hi there! Thanks for the guide. Quick question, my controller’s left stick was drifting towards right, but after I tinkered with it now it’s drifting towards left, way faster this time 😅 Any tips?
Works 🎉 I was able to fix a left drift issue… on a “new” controller. When I had the controller open the little tabs near the mic had already been opened, and poorly.
Thanks for the video! I do have a question. If I have experience with soldering, would you recommend removing the whole thing while repairing it instead of bending the metal?
I did basically everything in this video step by step, and now my left analogue stick won't go left at all. What did I do wrong? Have I broken the controller?
Sometimes the damage is beyond needing a clean. The alternative is to replace the potentiometer or, more easily, just replace the white bit inside it. Give that a try and you should be okay
So i have a ps5 controller and everytime i really really gently and barely move the right joystick to the right the camera in the game moves to the oppisite direction. Can you help me please i googled this up like a bunch of time but it seems like no one has the same problem i have
I've finally managed to get the potentiometers cleaned but reassembling the controller seems to be much more annoying than I thought. The left hand ribbon cable is giving me quite some trouble, since it goes in in but won't stay in.
Thank you. Saved me $80 during a month I'm trying to conserve $. If your not very skilled, like me, it helped to use my phone to take pictures each step of the way. I could check k that I was reassembling properly.
would it be wise to change the battery as well for a even better performance? By the way you are The Goat, this video helped a loootttt. Thanks man, Subscribed.
I think these batteries should last for a fair while yet, they might need upgrading eventually but I don't expect you'd see much improvement in performance at the moment. Also thank you!
Thank youu! Had a bad drift going up and to the left on the left analog. made driving or walking around (eldenring) quite annoying 😅😅 the little disc chip that flew out when i popped open potentiometer was so nerve racking but its been put back together and works!
You absolute legend. I'm not a techy guy. Capable, but zero experience when it comes to getting under the hood of anything with a chip. Followed this step by step and was able to fix some mean left drift that had made the controller worthless. No more doing some weird "press joysticks in, circle left for 15 seconds, then right for 15" hokie pokie crap every fifteen minutes to re-engage the contact point. Bless you. This is my first comment on youtube because you FREAKING EARNED IT.
Thank you so much! I'm glad it helped get your controller back on track 😊
bruv I just need to know how to link u so that I can send u 2 of mine to fix for me ££
This is an incredibly high quality video. The splicing together of your clear explanation side by side with videos of the actual performance of the steps you are describing is so clear and so useful. Thanks so much!
that means an awful lot, thank you! I work hard on these videos and the communication is really important to me, I'm glad it seems to come through from a viewer's perspective.
@@JoeBleeps I came here to say this too! You helped immensely! You're a legend. Cheers!
You are a legend. I, a 45 year old mum with no electronics experience, have just fixed THREE DualShock controllers this morning 🎉
Wow that's good going! We are never too old to learn more stuff. I hope the kids are impressed with your skills!
I wasn't going to try this but your comment just convinced me to order a bunch of micro tools and give this a shot.
Wow you deserve my respect 🙂
Salute to Mom for diving in and giving it a shot! Genuine respect for you both giving it a try with added praise for fixing a few of em🏆
It's DISGUSTING that this issue persists to this day.
Ridiculous that we are buying expensive controllers for current gen consoles and they are still using the same sticks from the PS3 era
Agreed. Mine started a couple days ago. I’m better at destroying things then fixin em so I’m nervous to pull my controller apart. It’s my left one so it isn’t too bad but it’s quite annoying.
@@DrunkDjinn it's not too difficult to open, definitely easier than the xbox controllers. And absolutely better than putting up with the drift.
Lmfaoooo facts
Had two controllers spoilt this way. Shame on Sony
Bro, thank you so much for this video, it was super helpful! I had two PS5 controls that have drifting, one more than the other so i decided to tackle the worst of them and lo and behold after following your steps in the video the controller is working as if it were brand new! All hope is not lost boys!
That's fantastic to hear. I appreciate you letting me know!
Great video. Super informative and detailed walkthrough. Fixed my issue! 👏
Thank you!
I was really bummed out, 3 of my 4 controllers are already unplayable. I saw this video and comments, bought a tool set (these are really cheap) and just finished the first controller.....IT WORKS AGAIN!
You are a legend, wish me luck with the next two.
Good luck! And congratulations on the first one
At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never make my controller feel alright. And after spending nights, thinking how Sony did me wrong. I grew strong, and learned how to FIX THE STICKS just by following along!
@@mikithehat 😂👏👏👏love this!
Thanks a lot man. Typically I HATE having to take apart any tech because I’m scared that it won’t work once put together but I am so happy this fixed my stick drift.
Glad to hear it worked!
03.57am and I fixed my dualshock with my monster clumpsy hands. Dude like, I had more trouble with the screws. You are awesome
Bravo! Happy to help 😊
Dude, thank you! The metal bending part was the main issue in my controller. I would have never figured that one out as I was just cleaning components!
Glad I could help! Thanks for feeding back
So the metal part don’t suppose to bend?
@@relocoleworld6381 no but so long as you don't do it too much it won't cause any damage
Awesome tutorial, the cleaning fixed the drifting issue completely. Much appreciated!
Happy gaming!
Your video just saved two of my controllers. I greatly appreciated the explanation and the ease to take care of this. Well done and thank you!
That's brilliant! Thank you for the feedback!
Great walk through. Had stick drift on my original controller, ended up buying a new one and sticking the white controller into a drawer and moved on. After my 2nd controllers x button stopped working. Figured I'd try to fix my original controller and found your video. After cleaning both greeny blue plastic bits. The controller works like it just came out of the box. Now i feel more comfortable attempting to fix my second controllers x button. Appreciate you saving me 70$.
That's really great to hear. Thanks for letting me know!
You are the absolute GOAT. Finally sat down and did this after some rough games on Rivals and it works flawlessly now. Ty for such great and easy to follow vid
brilliant to hear, thank you!
Thank you! This worked amazingly well!! Cheers!
Ahhh thank you so much! 🙏🙏🙏
Just completed the whole process, literally a few minutes ago. Was playing GoW Ragnarok and could sit my controller on the sofa and Kratos would happily veer off to the left all by himself.
Just fired the game up again and so far so good.
Cleaned and also bent the little metal housing as you suggested.
Many thanks!
Glad to hear it seems to have worked!
Man, thank you! This was the most clear and direct to the point sollution I found. Finally someone who avoids those "try pushing up, down, take 3 jumps, make a little dance" crap that doesn't solve the problem. I have 3 controllers, each one was drifting in different directions, and your video saved me. All 3 are working fine now. Once again, thank you!
@@micelicrvg216 I'm glad the video was useful. Congratulations on your repairs!
Buddy you have just saved me a small fortune on a new controller, I’m not tech savvy at all but after following you in this video (yes I think it took me an hour or so) I now have a controller working like new. Thanks for making a tutorial even someone like me can follow! You’ve got a new subscriber
Thank you so much! Yes always worth taking your time with these things, well done on the repair.
Thanks!
Thank you so much! Hugely appreciated
Just tried this today. My left joystick was drifting to the left and it was really annoying as I have only had it for about a year. This solved the trick and wasn't super hard either. Thank you.
I am really glad it worked for you!
it’s worth the effort guys. had nasty stick drift on my ps5 controller that I had used for a month after buying. was going to scrap it but have this video a try and it works flawlessly.
@@onlymeadow that's really good to hear, thanks for sharing
Excellent video my friend. You have pointed out all tasks where we should be gentle. At the end of a one hour operation, I have found a tiny hair smaller than eyelash at the interior surface. Post-tested for three hours, the left drift was gone. One really need to be careful about the fact that for left-right drifts, they need to open upper green lid. By the time I have understood this, I have already cleaned the interior of the other green lid.
One more warning to other watchers, do not do this immediately after having an espresso. You need your hands stable, no shaking. :)
@@ismailbasoglu4252 stable hands are helpful. But you will have been alert, at least!
Just leaving a comment to say this totally worked for me. There were multiple points where I thought I messed up, but it all worked out fine in the end. Thank you so much for this!
Really glad it worked for you. These processes can be stressful but if it works in the end, it always feels worth it.
Just here to add to the praise of how this works wonders. Even me who's someone with slightly shaky hands and even more so in this case since I was so nervous of breaking something.
@@Mateus_Pereira_Silva thanks so much for the feedback!
Thank you so much , it worked. If your movement goes to left you need to open upper one, it controls right and left direction
Yes that's correct. I'm glad it worked!
AWESOME TUTORIAL!!! Just fixed my controller, I was just about to give up on it... I'm so grateful :D
@@leventeherpai-komoroczki3914 that's brilliant. Good job!
Perfect demo. I followed step-by-step and the stick drift completely resolved. Thank you!
@@honzatoman8320 so glad to hear that! Thanks for commenting
Joe Thank you so much! You saved me! I am a woman, I do not understand Tech, I am brazilian AND I made step by step everything you did in this video and the control is fixed! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 You are the best 💛💛💛 now my son is playing well 👏👏👏
Congratulations! I am glad it was a success. It can be scary to try so well done for giving it a go
@@JoeBleeps yes very scary I literally sweat cold 😂😂😂 but everything was very well
I'm very glad@@bapideoli8485
I have to say, it’s 2:20 am and I just fixed it I can’t believe it worked and it wasn’t even dirty
Thank you soo much
Fantastic to hear! Good job
thanks geezer. I ordered spare pots and replaced them. But this was a great disassembly guide.
That's a great fix too. I did it with an Xbox controller recently for an upcoming video.
Hey man, thanks for the great video. Got my drift issues fixed. Unfortunately, I was less careful than I should have been with my L2 ribbon cable and I accidentally tore it. Thought I was good to go because my controller was working on the main PS5 menu, but it won't work in-game if it's not connected properly. Luckily I had another controller I borrowed the ribbon from while I order some replacement ribbons. Works like brand new now.
Good save! Those ribbons are delicate indeed
You made a very good video, but the potentiometer blue thing for the sticks did not come off and I was stratching the top off it, how do I get them off? Thanks!
@@jawshadow5491 it is a little awkward, I used my spudger starting from the corners
Awesome video. Straightforward and extremely helpful. 100% worked and my controller is no longer drifting. Weird thing is that one sensor was filthy (x-axis), but the other (y-axis) barely had much build up, at all. Just glad to not have to buy a new controller.
@@aumurph glad you could fix it! Thank you for commenting
have fixed my stick drift twice already with this tutorial. Amazing work thanks.
@@Ali-wf9ef that's great news, thanks for sharing!
Totaly usefull video. I did it for a first time and it took me 20 min and steady hand controller works like new after I followed step by step. Salute from 🇭🇷
Excellent! Well done!
Holy crap! It worked! 😂
I was a little unsure when I got into the part itself, and got a small stress mark in the plastic when I first bent it. But all seems good. 30 minutes in and no more drift. Now I just need to fix the other 3 that have it.
Tried this, it didn't work the first time - in fact got worse, but then tried again and was more 'forceful' with the amendments to the spring mechanism on the potentiometer thing, and it worked the 2nd time for some reason and solved the stick drift completely. So has saved me £45. Quite a bit harder, and more fiddly than repairing the Switch Stick Drift, but worked in the end. Took me about 45mins - 1 hour to do it twice.
Really glad to hear it worked in the end. I love that perseverance
Cheers bud, my metal ring was bent, did as suggested with little hope by stretching out, you legend! It fixed it!
@@rollindeep786 ahhh that's great news
Epic fix, thanks. Found some fine fiber barely visible to the eye. Caution- the black stuff isn’t dirt - it’s probably a conductive grease to keep your potentiometer life in check. I’ve ordered some online so will re apply it while I get back to playing Fortnite
@@ocnussorellius4242 oh yes I should have been clearer there, that's the conductive surface. It does build up dirt on that surface though and it sometimes needs cleaning to expose that surface properly
Thanks a lot for the video! This took care of my stick drift issue. I'm not sure of the name of the part, but those white plastic bits that you pull out the potentiometer, one of mine was in pretty rough shape and the metal was bent a lot more than normal. I no longer have stick drift, but my look sensitivity is faster to the right than it is looking to the left. I bought a cheap Amazon kit that includes the potentiometers and all of the internal parts, I'm going to try replacing just the damaged white plastic piece to see if it helps. Unfortunately, I broke the mic ribbon cable (lower bottom right cable that you warned us about) trying to get it back in. Good thing I rarely use the mic, I can use my other controllers for that functionality 😂
Ahh yes that's so frustrating with that ribbon as it's so delicate. Took me ages to fix when I tore one. I would expect yours will be fine if you swap out the white parts of the potentiometer. Good luck!
Fantastic video. I had bad drift with my 12 month old controller on the horizontal right thumb stick. I ended up cleaning both the horizontal and vertical parts, might as well. On checking the one I had drift with the small metal contact that comes out I noticed straight away there was a 1mm black mark in the metal contact near the top, not sure if it was a burn mark or a piece of trapped rubber but the Isopropyl alcohol, baby's toothbrush and wooden toothpicks removed it (closest I had to earbuds). So far so good, my sons playing his usual Fortnite and says its fixed.
You saved me a new controller mate! Subscribed.
Absolutely amazing thank you so much! Fixed my controller that had mad stick drift after under a year - and that was a warranty replacememt for the last one that broke!
Glad you managed to fix it! Thanks for commenting :)
Thank you so very much for showing how to remove that cursed cover!!! Sprayed some canned air around the joystick a lot easier that way! Subscribed!
@@cw7076 thank you! I'm glad it was helpful!
You are an absolute legend. ❤❤. Just followed your instructions right and now my dualsense controller works perfectly. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Brilliant to hear. Good job!!
So helpful! It worked like a charm! Thx dude!
That just worked perfectly for me - solved a left drift on the left stick. Thanks for the detailed explanation!
Thanks so much for that! It really worked! Not that hard to do going step by step with the video.
@@PaulooPZ really glad to hear that, thank you
Oh Joe, you’re a star. I’ve not had to deal with one of these yet (touch wood) but when I do I’m glad to see how much easier they are to get into than the Xbox Series pads. I’d probably also have gone straight to replacing the stick, as I’ve done in the past, but I might give your method a go next time!
Well worth a try! The stick replacement was not fun
A tip for people who don't have alcohol cleaner.. you can use Ear buds to clean YES EAR BUDS but after that make sure there are no cotton fiber remains in the socket.. your mobile torch will do the work to see..
This works like a charm... Thank you so much.. i am not a tech guy or something but it helps me a lot i was going to buy a new controller 🎮 thankyou again..
I am glad this helped!
Thank you, you absolutely genius. I know nothing about tech, circuitry and the like, and you put together an excellent video with clear instructions so simple that an imbecile like me could follow and fix 3 controllers!! You just saved me $240.
I gotta tell ya, this worked a lot better than punching it or banging it on my table. Haha.
In all seriousness, very well put together video with great explanation and instruction. Thank you for saving me from headaches and saving my wallet from shelling out for a new one. Liked and subbed. 👍
Thank you for your support! I am glad the video was useful :)
I made the stick drift worse the first time, it drifted left even more, and the second go I made it so it drifted to the right almost maximum. Was I not gentle enough with the metal part to the potentiometer?
@@puppyhale167 sometimes that part just needs replacing. I had the same thing happen with an Xbox pad. You don't have to replace the whole potentiometer, just the middle bit usually does it
This was brilliant! Thanks mate! It worked. I had difficulty putting the L ribbon cable located by the RCA jack (microphone ribbon cable). I didn't realized you're only supposed to pull out the ribbon. I pulled out the black pastic connector and it was difficult to put it back in without getting the two rows of pins bent. Oh well, I managed to put it back on but never tested if the mic works (I don't really used the mic in gaming). Thanks again.
@@newvillagefilms well done! It can get a bit tricky with those ribbons
Very interesting.
Got about 7 minutes in and was like, I’ll buy a new controller 😂
@@jnayls379 ahhh hahaha it's really not that bad. I just find it important to cover the steps in enough detail so people don't get lost part way through
Thanks man!! Repaired my controller with your help! Weird and rude that Sony doesn't do anything about this infamous issue...
Most of the drift issues can be dealt with with cleaning, even with running can of air and blow into the whole part so it gets the dirt out, but if you keep your gamepads clean you'll get a good mileage out of them
You are a god damn hero thank you for the info. I just followed your steps and you helped save my old ds5. The drift was so bad and the dirt was right where you said to clean now its like a new controller again, and your reassembling part of the video helped so much thank you for posting this
I really appreciate this feedback, thanks for taking the time and congratulations on reviving your controller, it's a great feeling isn't it? I'm never sure quite how much information to include in these videos, keeping things short and watchable but also useful and informative is tricky. So that's good to hear!
I thank u so much .u are the real deal. I just did it today .I almost gave up .but I saw your video about the up & down problem drift I was having and u are so right about the dirt or grease and the springs u have to lift them foward and u are so right love u man. thank u 🙏🏾 ❤ now I’m back in fortnite thank u so much .I’m glad you save me from spend 79.00 for another new controller.
Glad you fixed it! They charge too much for these controllers when they cheap out on the main components like this
@@JoeBleeps yesssss they do
This needs more views this video is amazing. Saved me a controller 🙏
Thank you! I'm glad this helped 😊
so easy to need to maintenance
so much pain in the ass to do the maintenance
thanks sony!
You just saved me brother, I SWEAR I thought I needed to buy a new controller which seemed really werid to me since I just got a brand new ps5 less than a month ago, I felt dissapointed because how can a brand new controller just have that drift without having an extreme use, but thanks to your guide I was able to save myself the need to buy another controller, THANK U SO MUCH
It's so bad that this starts happening with such new hardware. I am very glad you fixed it, good job!
Very good guide! After some cleaning gamepad work absolutely perfect 😁 Thank You 🙏
I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know :)
Thanks for this fix. Now not only did the drift goes away, now the sides of my controller has an added feature, 'textured' for better grip (read: screwdriver marks)
@@micr0e 🤣 oops. Well at least it's working 😅
@@JoeBleeps true! Thanks!
Thanks, took care of most of the constant jerking left on my kids purple controller. Bonus for taking the time to show it being put back together, I actually had my battery upside down and the wires were a bit loose.
@@robertemmerich9666 thanks for the feedback, it's useful to know what people find useful
@@JoeBleeps I found your video so good I'm back again to try and fix the drift on my 2nd PS5 controller. $75 for about 1 hr a day for 2 years, Sony should be forced to fix these for free like Nintendo did with my Switch Joycon, but you're the next best thing.
@@robertemmerich9666 I appreciate that feedback, thank you! I agree that they really need to be better.
Rock start!! Worked like a charm! Thanks mate!
Excellent! You're welcome
You just saved me $70 and earned a like and sub. A gentleman and a scholar.
Thank you!
Extremely helpful, thanks so much. So far so good on everything post-reassembly!
Thanks for this video. Had this issue with two of my controllers. Following your guide helped me to resolve the issue!
Love hearing that! Thanks for sharing
Amazing video! I somehow managed to make my stick drift worse... So I obviously did something wrong. Rewatching until I fix it! Thanks for posting!
I'm sure you'll get there. I've had it where no matter how much I clean, it won't fix it. If you get a new potentiometer and pop it open, swap out the white bit with your current one, that might fix it
Thank you 😅 don't like doing it but helped massively
yeah it's always a bit nerve-wracking doing stuff like this!
I just did mine. It had terrible left drift it was filthy I don't know why it was new thank you so much I believe it worked I almost slammed it the other day you are the man saved me alot of money 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Really glad to hear that!
THANK YOU! I thought for sure I was going to have to buy a new controller. This one was less than a year old and had awful drift on the left stick. I did everything you suggested in the video and it fixed it. You rock.
So good to hear! Thanks for commenting
thank you so so much for this! extremely helpful. hopefully, mine isn't so bad I have to get another controller... this was controller #4 because of this exact issue.
@@arixbray1975 it's worryingly common. I hope you are able to fix it!
@JoeBleeps unfortunately it lasted for a day 😭 for some reason my thumbstick seems to press down farther than the other so I have to almost pull it back up? Going to try and find a solution for that now.
@@arixbray1975 oh no. If it makes you feel better I've often had ones that took a few attempts to fix. Staying patient is the hardest skill
@@JoeBleeps I'll probably take it apart again to see if I can clean it again. Can't hurt to try!
@arixbray1975 can't be worse I suppose!
I'm sure you can buy a off the shelf potensiometer from any dealer anywhere, and use the components from it to fix/replace the part inside the thumbstics(on one or both pots inside the tumbstick)
Mine doesn’t have drift , but it feels stiff or sticky ? On the right thumb stick . I do believe it may need some basic lubricant but I’m having a hard time finding a ok substance to put on a q-tip and no results . Any help would be useful as I do not trust myself to this degree ! Thank you in advance !
That is strange. I expect they have some sort of silicone grease in there to get a smooth movement. Has it been like that for long?
Hi Joe, can u please send me a link where I can buy all of the tools that you used? I wanted to take te controller apart but I don't have any equipment
If you go on the ZedLabz link in the description you'll find the tools you need, I'll try and find a specific link for you
I just checked and they are out of stock, you should find what you need on Amazon. Any prying tools and precision screwdrivers should be fine for this job. Spudgers are very useful.
@@JoeBleepsI already checked that out before letting this comment but there’s so many different options idek which one would be. That would be awesome man
@@diogoricardo3406 for DualSense controller, Philips #00 screwdriver, spudger, tweezers and opening pick are recommended 😊
Does stick drift happen with the edge controller?
I haven't tried that one, sorry
My controller is 2 months old and my right stick makes me just randomly spin to the left. Will this help?
It should do, that's pretty bad for such a new controller though, maybe you can return it?
@JoeBleeps I wish. I work on an island in the middle of the pacific ocean. Luckily, I ordered 2 new ones that will be here in about 2 weeks
I hope those two last a bit longer!@@jhick77
Hi there! Thanks for the guide. Quick question, my controller’s left stick was drifting towards right, but after I tinkered with it now it’s drifting towards left, way faster this time 😅 Any tips?
Works 🎉 I was able to fix a left drift issue… on a “new” controller. When I had the controller open the little tabs near the mic had already been opened, and poorly.
That's great that you fixed it! And a little shady that a controller would be sold as new after someone opened it up...
You made my day bro, thx very much
Fantastic, you're welcome
Thanks for the video! I do have a question. If I have experience with soldering, would you recommend removing the whole thing while repairing it instead of bending the metal?
Tried this, even replaced the wipers with new, and both sticks are still drifting. Any thoughts?
@@luna_thetunatic it can become very frustrating... When I've had one like this I've replaced the entire potentiometer
I can hardly believe it but I think this fixed my drift! Thanks for making this vid.
Fantastic to hear!
IT WORKS!!!!!!! Thank you sooo much. You just saved my 2 controllers!!!
I'm really glad to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to feedback :)
I did basically everything in this video step by step, and now my left analogue stick won't go left at all. What did I do wrong? Have I broken the controller?
Sometimes the damage is beyond needing a clean. The alternative is to replace the potentiometer or, more easily, just replace the white bit inside it. Give that a try and you should be okay
Thank you. This helped me out and saved me $70
@@ericbeam4074 that's really good to hear
Thanks sir - worked like a charm. I thought this controller was a goner.
Great to hear!
So i have a ps5 controller and everytime i really really gently and barely move the right joystick to the right the camera in the game moves to the oppisite direction. Can you help me please i googled this up like a bunch of time but it seems like no one has the same problem i have
Have you tried cleaning the potentiometer for the sideways movement on that stick?
@@JoeBleeps wait i cleaned the wrong potentiometer!?!?
@@voorust2287 for that issue you'd be cleaning the one at the top of the stick
@@JoeBleeps oh thank you so much
@@voorust2287 no problem 🙏
Thank you for this mate. Done the job. You'll save people loads of money 👍🏼
@@madmatt10583 thank you! Well done on the repair
I've finally managed to get the potentiometers cleaned but reassembling the controller seems to be much more annoying than I thought. The left hand ribbon cable is giving me quite some trouble, since it goes in in but won't stay in.
The ribbons can be very tricky! They've tested my patience on a few occasions
Thank you. Saved me $80 during a month I'm trying to conserve $. If your not very skilled, like me, it helped to use my phone to take pictures each step of the way. I could check k that I was reassembling properly.
@@roberthamilton606 taking pictures as you go is a really good habit
Just fixed 3 controllers with this method, awesome video!
would it be wise to change the battery as well for a even better performance? By the way you are The Goat, this video helped a loootttt. Thanks man, Subscribed.
I think these batteries should last for a fair while yet, they might need upgrading eventually but I don't expect you'd see much improvement in performance at the moment. Also thank you!
I'm thankful for this video. I couldn't take it anymore. Like new bow
Glad to hear that!
Thank youu! Had a bad drift going up and to the left on the left analog. made driving or walking around (eldenring) quite annoying 😅😅 the little disc chip that flew out when i popped open potentiometer was so nerve racking but its been put back together and works!
@@Huntneil yes! Congratulations!
You my friend are the goat 😭thank youuuuu
Ahh you are most welcome!
My drift is in my right stick.It pulls hard left.So does that mean I have to clean the top potentiometer?
That's correct
Can you please make a video about cleaning ps5 edge joystick?
If I get given one of these controllers to fix I'll make a video